Harland "Bud" L. Curtis still remembers 60 years later how the moon shone brightly the night he jumped out of an airplane to make his first entrance into France. Filled with anxiety and anticipation, he and others of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team landed behind fog-shrouded German Lines on Aug. 15, 1944. On that long-ago night, the private first class landed miles from the drop zone and was met by an enemy patrol. Heroically, he fought his way out of that perilous situation.
From the moment he landed in the south of France in Operation Dragoon, he and the men of the 517th faced 94 consecutive days of combat on the front lines without relief, the most of any unit in World War II history.
On June 5, nearly 60 years later, Brother Curtis of Long Beach 1st Ward, Long Beach California Stake, received a far different welcome to France as the red carpet was rolled out for him and 99 other U.S. World War II veterans.
"It was quite impressive with all the dignitaries there to greet us and the military in salute," Brother Curtis said. "I felt like a dignitary."
These 100 men were selected by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs by request of the French government to receive the Knight of the Legion of Honor, the highest French military decoration. Michel Barnier, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, awarded the medals at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris.
"I was just one individual. It wasn't just for me, it was for all the millions who served as well," Brother Curtis said.
Two of his sons, Lory Curtis of Salt Lake City and Tim Curtis of Tucson, Ariz., accompanied him to France for this special honor. Afterward, they traveled to the south of France where Brother Curtis made that jump 60 years ago and stood in the shrapnel-riddled fields where he landed.
There were somber feelings during a June 6 French/American ceremony at the American Cemetery at Normandy during which French President Jacques Chirac and U.S. President George W. Bush spoke. A later ceremony at Sword Beach included England's Queen Elizabeth. The veterans also visited the museum in Lemuy dedicated to the American invasion of southern France.
It was a remarkable experience for all of them. And perhaps most memorable were the innumerable gestures and words of gratitude from all they encountered. "I was impressed with the whole atmosphere of gratitude," said Brother Curtis. Such sincere and heartfelt gratitude 60 years after the fact amazed him. "We will never forget," he heard time and time again. Each of these personal expressions of gratitude is pinned on his heart while the French Legion of Honor has been pinned on his chest.
Now 79 years old, Brother Curtis lives with his wife, Lois, in the Long Beach 1st Ward, Long Beach California Stake. They have three sons and seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is a retired national vehicle import operations manager.